Toothy Smile

Gum disease comes in many forms, one of which is gum or root recession also known as root exposure. This is a disease or pathological process that is characterized by visible roots, sensitivity to cold or touch, and in extreme cases, loose teeth. Exposed tooth roots are the result of gum recession. Exposed tooth roots resulting from gum recession is multifactorial. Your gums may have receeded for a variety of reasons, to include: agressive tooth brushing, thin gingival tissue, post-orthodontic treatment, and genetic predisposition. The Implant & Laser Periodontal Surgery Center has unique and less invasive way to correct disease and gum recession.

Significant concerns regarding root recession as a result of gum disease are as follows (least to most important):

Cosmetics

Tooth sensitivity to cold stimuli or touch

Loss of a "firm collar" of tissue around the neck of the tooth that functions as a protective mechanism for the underlying bone

Root caries, or cavities in the roots

Roots are porous in nature, much like a sponge. They have holes and tunnels in them, called tubules that, when exposed by gums disease, accumulate food particles, by-products and bacteria. This invasion very rapidly results in loss of mineralization of the tooth, and cavities invade the root when it is exposed.

A firm band of tissue called "attached tissue" is usually attached to a root and provides a cinching affect around the teeth, much like a tie around a neck, to protect foreign material from getting down between the teeth and gums thus infecting the bone. This important protection is lost with gum disease and recession. Therefore, when the bone is exposed to foreign materials, it recedes to protect itself along with the gum. This provides for significant loss of bone support which may lead to the loss of the tooth or teeth..

We incorporate the most advanced, least invasive technologies for the correction of gum recession caused by gum disease. Sometimes we can simply pull the gum up or down to cover the root. With more advanced recession we incorporate either gum transplants or acellular dermal tissue into our therapy to cover the exposed root, and therefore cure the five reasons given above that accompany gum recession caused by gum disease. The procedure we use is well documented, but is less commonly used due to the time and technical skill required to perform the procedure.
The procedure is the most advanced, minimally-invasive, most comfortable and quickest gum disease healing procedure to date due to the minimal disruption of blood flow. There are few incisions or "stitches" after the procedure. During this procedure everything is done underneath the gum, much like laparoscopy, so there is little manipulation of the tissue resulting in faster healing. Most of the time the procedure takes 20-45 minutes to complete for one tooth or longer for multiple teeth.